Hundreds of Tunisians staged a demonstration in the capital Tunis against a serious environmental crisis stemming from deadly pollution linked to the state-owned chemical plant in Gabes. The protest, which began in a city in the south of the country, has now spread beyond the borders of the region, according to Reuters.
The protest is said to be part of a series of public demonstrations showing growing anger with the government’s response to pollution and the declining quality of public services, posing the most significant challenge to President Kais Saied since he consolidated power in 2021.
2. Demonstrators held placards and chanted slogans in support of the people of Gabes, criticizing the authorities’ response as “repression”. The government said the arrests were made because of acts of violence.
3. Hani Faraj, a protester from the “Stop Pollution” campaign, told Reuters: “It’s that simple, the people of Gabes want to breathe. Gabes is slowly dying… We will not be silent. We will escalate our peaceful protests.”
4. The Saied administration fears that protests in the capital could fuel unrest in other parts of Tunisia and increase pressure from a prolonged economic downturn and political instability. He called the situation in Gabes “ecological assassination” and attributed it to what he called the criminal political decisions of the previous government.
5. Saied called for immediate repairs to industrial units to stop leakages in a bid to calm the protests. Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani announced this week that the government plans to build a cancer hospital in Gabes to deal with the growing number of cases. However, protesters dismissed the measures as temporary and insisted that the polluting facilities be permanently closed and relocated.
Meanwhile, environmental groups warn that tonnes of industrial waste are dumped into the sea at Chatt Essalam daily, causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. Local fishermen have seen a significant decline in fish stocks over the past ten years, threatening a vital source of livelihood for many residents in the area.
